102: Decolonizing The Wellness Publishing Industry with Rebekah Borucki

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I imagine by now you’ve probably heard that over 65% of COVID misinformation is spread by just 12 people, and those 12 people are almost all from the wellness community.  As yoga teachers we may loosely (or closely) identify with the wider wellness community and so addressing these issues is important! What you may not know is that several of those people also have the same publisher-- Hay House Publishing. 

Our amazing guest today, Rebekah Borucki, is a very popular meditation guide and author who publicly left Hay House Publishing last year. She left because of their refusal to address the rampant misinformation some of their authors were spreading about COVID and their unwillingness to address the lack of diversity in the authors they publish as well.

Speaking of... did you know that publishing is 79% white, 89% straight, 96% non-disabled and 99% Cisgender? With stats like that, just imagine all the stories that aren’t being told! I am so excited to tell you about the brand new wellness publishing house that our guest has founded! It is called Row House Publishing and they are “Raising the Volume on Voices That Matter™” and publishing books at the intersection of personal development and social justice. Their work is actively decolonizing the wellness community! 

Rebekah “Bex” Borucki (she/they) is a mother-to-five, self-help and children’s author, and the Founder and President of Row House, Wheat Penny Press (Row House’s children’s imprint), and the WPP Little Readers Big Change Initiative.  Rebekah is driven by a commitment to make wellness tools available to all and to help others recover the liberation stolen from them by White Supremacy. She lives with her family in New Jersey.

In this episode you’ll hear:

  • how Rebekah began studying and then teaching yoga and meditation

  • how Rebekah got her first book deal with Hay House Publishing

  • why Rebekah publicly left Hay House and how it felt to do that

  • why the idea that you can offer some silent solidarity is a myth

  • why Rebekah founded this new publishing house 

  • all about the inequitable and unfair acquisition practices that make it difficult for emerging voices to get heard

  • a little bit about the amazing authors already in contract with Row House

Learn More From Rebekah and Row House:

This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. The best thing about OfferingTree is you can get up and running in 10 minutes with no tech skills needed. As an added bonus, If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)!  OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I’m proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

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